Exceptional San Francisco Home

Perched above the bustle of Haight Street, Buena Vista and Ashbury Heights offer some of the most dramatic views in San Francisco and a quieter, more residential take on the neighborhood's storied past. At the heart of it all is Buena Vista Park, the city's oldest official park, whose wooded, winding paths climb to a summit with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, downtown, and the East Bay.

The streets around the park are lined with some of the city's grandest homes. Stately Victorians, Edwardians and Queen Annes crowd the hillsides, many of them restored to their original splendor. Along Buena Vista West and East, mansions built by the city's early elite still stand. Farther up the slope, Ashbury Heights winds toward Mount Olympus and Tank Hill, two neighborhood lookouts that locals love.

Daily life here has the best of both worlds. The shops, cafés and music of Haight Street are only a short walk downhill, and neighborhood favorites in Cole Valley are close enough for a morning coffee or a weekend brunch. Head down the east side of the park and you'll reach Divisadero Street in a few minutes. It has become one of the city's liveliest corridors, with acclaimed restaurants, artisan bakeries, coffee roasters and cocktail bars that draw diners from all over San Francisco. Golden Gate Park and the Panhandle are nearby for jogging, picnics and a day at the museums. Families, longtime residents and newcomers share a strong sense of pride in this hilltop enclave, where it feels like you're living above the city, and just a little apart from it.